The time has come, folks—our first look at Josh Brolin as Cable in Deadpool 2 has arrived. Franchise star/producer Ryan Reynolds revealed the image on Twitter, and it is sufficiently exciting. The role of Cable was perhaps the most difficult to cast for Deadpool 2, as Reynolds, 20th Century Fox, and director David Leitch were aiming high. They had conversations with Brad Pitt about taking the part, and actors like Michael Shannon and David Harbour (Stranger Things) surfaced on the shortlist. But in the end, the part went to Brolin, and he’s poised to not only make a big entrance in Deadpool 2 but also possibly lead his own film down the line.

In the comics, Cable is Nathan Summers, the biological son of Cyclops and Jean Grey’s clone Madelyne Pryor. His powers run the gamut from telepathy and telekinesis to excellent marksmanship, but most of all he carries himself like a bona fide badass. He and Deadpool have a long and complicated history in the comic books, as he teamed up with the Merc with a Mouth for a comics run called Cable and Deadpool. Cable also at points served as the leader of X-Force, which is kind of like an R-rated, more violent X-Men. That’s why the casting of this character was so crucial—not only is Brolin part of the Deadpool franchise, but he could also lead the X-Force movie that’s in development.

Brolin looks pretty terrific here in this first image. He’s got the look down pat, and I appreciate that his face isn’t smothered in makeup effects—there’s certainly a grizzled quality here, but Brolin’s face isn’t entirely obscured by trying to make him look “cool.”

Check out the image below, via Reynolds’ Twitter. Deadpool 2 is currently in production and also stars Zazie Beets as Domino. The film hits theaters on June 1, 2018.